preparing for 1mile swimopen water.

Open water swimming is more then just going back and forth in a pool. In the most basic sense you have plenty of swim volume, your swimming roughly 3 miles per week so it is pretty obvious you can swim a mile.

Here is the thing though:....have you ever swam in deep dark open water before? No clear pool water, no black lane marker on the bottom, no safety of being able to rest on the wall, no separate lane ropes, no controlled temperature, etc, you starting to get what I am saying??

Have you ever had a mass swim start with 25-50+ people? Bodies bumping, legs kicking in your face, arms flailing and splashing all about you occasionally hitting you in the head and face, water churning, swells, total chaos!!!!! 

Are you ready for all that? That is the question you should be asking yourself. Now go get into the open lake water, take a freind and have them go out with you either on the swim or in a kayak or boat to spot you in case you start to freak out a little. It almost always happens to everyone on the first couple of big open water swims, don't wait until race day. I have seen many folks spend countless hours training in the pool and jump into deep open water and get fished out in the first 300 yards. I swim 1-2 miles once a week in the open pacific ocean (even with known great white shark sightings in the area) and I still find myself getting moments of panic but have learned how to redirect my thoughts and refocus and stay in the game. Sometimes its crazy currents pulling you away or big swells lifting you up and dropping you face first into the water in the middle of taking a breath, or you see shadows under water and your mind starts messing with you.

Open water whether its a lake or ocean is a entirely different beast from the safety and calmness of your local pool. Only one thing can prepare you for open water and that is...open water. 

Enjoy the swim